Louis William, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

Who was Louis William, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg?

Louis William, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, was Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg from 1829 until his death.

He was the second son of Landgrave Frederick V and his wife Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt, a daughter of Landgrave Louis IX of Hesse-Darmstadt and Caroline of Zweibrücken, "the Great Landgravine".

Louis, as he was usually called, was educated together with his elder brother Frederick VI. They studied together in Geneva, and in 1788, they joined the Prussian army together. In 1793, he fought in the Battle of Pirmasens. In 1798, he was promoted to Major. In 1804, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and he married Princess Augusta Amalia of Nassau-Usingen. This "dynastic marriage" with the daughter of a neighbouring prince was an unhappy one, as she was in love with Frederick William of Bismarck. The marriage ended in divorce. Augusta Amalia married Frederick William; Louis William did not marry again. Ricarda Huch gives more details in her Count Mark and the Princes of Nassau-Usingen. A tragic biography of 1925.

In 1806, he fought in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt and was taken prisoner by the French. After his release, he became Major General of the Infantry in Königsberg. Here, he reorganized the army in the framework of the Prussian reforms. In 1810, he was gransferred to Berlin. In 1813, he fought in the German campaign with his own "Hesse-Homburg Brigade". In the Battle of Leipzig, his troops stormed the Grimma gate and he was injured.